Two taken away after Selkirk Avenue standoff

A suspect comes out of a Selkirk Avenue house surrounded by Winnipeg police officers. Police closed the 700 block of Selkirk Avenue during the incident. The area has since opened up. Photo Store

Police arrested two suspects in a takedown on Selkirk Avenue Sunday in full view of neighbours enjoying one of the first mild days of spring.

The episode shut down traffic for about an hour on the busy North End street.

A man and a woman inside a rooming house surrendered to police. No shots were fired.

A heavy police presence arrived on the scene, just before noon, after reports that residents heard the sound of gunshots from the block. One convenience store clerk said his customers reported gunshots minutes before police arrived.

Officers sealed off the scene with crime tape and cruisers to block traffic between McGregor and Parr streets.

What followed was a long wait, with area residents watching police take up their positions in front and behind a two-storey home at 707 Selkirk Ave.

One officer parked his cruiser directly in front of the home and stood with a handgun trained on the front door.

Then a squad of five or six officers walked in single file behind an armoured shield, one officer holding a battering ram. The armoured officers set up behind the shield directly in front of the house and the next sound was a small siren and then an officer’s voice on a loudspeaker.

The officer called the occupants to come out of the house with their hands raised and surrender to police.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Minutes later, a man and woman were seen exiting the home from a side entrance, walking slowly but steady towards the waiting armoured officers. The pair was immediately handcuffed and patted down.

An officer called again for occupants to come out with their hands up.

No one came out and after a few more minutes, the armoured police squad stood down.

The street was reopened to traffic.

Police have yet to comment.

Sylvia Fenner and her son James Fenner, 20 watched from the corner for several minutes before the takedown, speaking briefly to officers before they walked quietly away.

"I just heard what happened," said James, adding he and his mother and a friend with a stroller went to the scene because they were looking for a friend who rents a room in the house. He was missing, they said. "I’m a little worried about him."